Type:
Oil
Facility:
Storage
Water Depth:
42.5
Installed:
2009
meters
Block:
F-Block
Design:
Gravity-based concrete
Sub Structure:
475
Topsides Wgt:
270
tonnes
tonnes
Intro
F3-FB-1 OLT is an unmanned oil offloading tower situated adjacent to the F3-FB-1 platform in the Dutch North Sea, installed in the early 1990s. It facilitates crude oil transfer from the F3-FB field to shuttle tankers and operates with minimal crew presence, interfacing hydraulically and structurally with the main production complex.
Field
The F3-FB field produces oil and gas from Upper Jurassic sandstone reservoirs in the Central Graben. The OLT is part of the field’s export infrastructure, supporting the transfer of produced oil into tankers while gas is routed via pipelines.
Facilities
F3-FB-1 OLT consists of a fixed unmanned tower with dedicated risers and turret arrangements designed to enable safe mooring and transfer operations to shuttle tankers. It is connected subsea and via flowlines to F3-FB-1’s production system for crude supply. The tower includes metering and safety shutdown systems to manage offloading, and passive corrosion protection given the unmanned nature. Power for control and monitoring is intermittent or supplied via umbilical from F3-FB-1. Safety systems include emergency shutdown, fire/gas detection, and structural design that withstands wave and wind loads. The OLT’s integration with the F3-FB network ensures stable export operations, with routine vessel inspection and maintenance of risers, flanges, and mooring interfaces.
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